Bible Strands
Romans 15:20
In this way I have aspired to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul writes to the Roman church to explain his missionary strategy and justify his planned journey to Spain. He speaks at a moment of strategic planning, defining his geographic boundaries after surveying his work from Jerusalem to Illyricum.
The words — Paul uses φιλοτιμούμενον (philotimoumenon), literally "being ambitious" or "aspiring," to describe his drive toward unreached areas. He pairs this with οὐχ ὅπου ὠνομάσθη (ouch hopou onomasthē), "not where [Christ] was named," to establish the specific limit of his planting work.
The thread — This boundary-setting mirrors 2 Corinthians 10:13, which restricts boasting to God-assigned fields, and echoes the construction imagery in 1 Corinthians 3:9 and Ephesians 2:20 regarding apostolic foundations. The approach directly fulfills the Isaiah prophecy quoted in Romans 15:21 about those not told seeing and understanding.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to assess whether their ministry replicates existing gospel work or pioneers where Christ is unknown. It demands a disciplined obedience to the stated limit of not building on another's foundation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation:
Cross-references
- 2 Corinthians 10:13 We, however, will not boast beyond our limits, but only within the field of influence that God has assigned to us—a field that reaches even to you.
- 1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
- Ephesians 2:20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.